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IT's Olympic Trials

Even as Olympic teams around the world were holding their final qualifying trials to see who got to go to Beijing, the technology infrastructure behind the Games was going through its own grueling trials.

The difference is these systems, applications, and networks -- not to mention the people who will operate them -- already have made the team. The extensive testing is designed to make sure everything actually works when the Games begin.

Atos Origin, the IT services firm that's managing technology for the Beijing Olympics, hasn't skimped on testing programs. The company says preparation of IT to support the Games has included about 200,000 hours of testing.

In May, Atos Origin conducted the first technology trial for the Games, a three-day rehearsal that tested more than 100 projects and involved systems and communications, information security, and media operations.

Then in late June, Atos Origin announced that the second and final technical rehearsal had been successfully completed. That involved a 2,500-person team including representatives from the Olympic organizing committee, Atos Origin, and vendor technology partners.

The June test simulated the three busiest days of the Games (Aug. 13, 16, and 21), during which about 500 predefined operational scenarios were executed. These included a flood, network disconnection, power failure, and changes to the competition schedule.

This final technical rehearsal was designed to ensure that staff, technology, and procedures are ready to respond to any situation. It also provided an opportunity for journalists and broadcasters to familiarize themselves with the IT systems.

During the IT trial, predefined scenarios were set in the various venues by a "shadow team" of about 100 officials, who assessed the response of the operating team. The scenarios included the types of things businesses face on a regular basis: hardware failures, software bugs, complaints by users, staffing problems, security attacks, network breaks, and power outages. But they also involved things unique to the Olympics, such as sport-related changes that could throw IT for a loop.

The scenarios were kept secret from the operations team, according to Atos Origin. On day two of the rehearsal, the operations team faced an added challenge: one of the drills separately organized by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security coincided with the technical rehearsal at the Beach Volleyball venue. That exercise was to test the city of Beijing's emergency response capacity.

The testing took place for 35 Olympic sports across 39 venues, in Beijing as well as remote cities. Competitions were simulated from actual venues and under conditions mimicking those that will likely take place in August.

Olympics and Atos Origin officials were pleased with the results of the final dress rehearsal -- and say they're confident that all the practice has rendered the IT infrastructure ready for the big show.

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